Bookholder



April 19750 c. WEISHEITW 2,503,015

. BOOKHOLDER Filed May 1a, 1947 Patented Apr. 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTQAOFFICE BOOKHOLDER.

Charles Weisheit, Northfield, Minn. Application May 16, 1947, Serial No. 748,527

6 Claims. (01. 45-80) This invention relates to a device for supporting and holding a book in open position.

It is an object of this inventionto provide a simple and convenient device for holding a book in open position and one which can be collapsed into compact form for storing or transportation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a book holder comprising a base made of a plate or board and preferably of rectangular form, means at the front of said base for supporting the edge of a book, means movable to different positions for holding said book in inclined position and swingable preferably resilient means at the front of said base for holding the pages of an open book.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a book holder comprising a platelike base preferably of rectangular form, means at the front of said base for holding or support ing the edge of a book, a bail having side portions with their ends pivoted at the ends of said base, means for holding said ball in different positions for holding said book in inclined position, and swingable resilient means at the front of said base for engaging the leaves of an open book.

It is further an object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph in which said bail is swingable to position with its sides extending along the ends of saidbase and its central portion extending along the front of said base, said resilient means being swingable to position along the front of said base and in engagement with said central portion.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a view in plan with the device in collapsed position;

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation showing a book held in the device, some parts being indicated in different positions in dotted lines; and

Fig. 5 is a partial view in end elevation shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, a device is shown comprising a base member Hi. While this member could be variously made and made of different materials, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as made of a board substantially rectangular in plan. A plate H is secured to the front of base ID by suitable screws 2 I2 threaded into base I0. Plate H extends a short distance above the top of base I0, as shown in Fig. 4, and said plate will have its upper corners nicely rounded, as shown in Fig. .2. Members I4 which are similar in construction are pivotally mounted at one end on the screws l2. Each member I4 is preferably made of a strip of resilient material, such asv spring steel, said members having their central portions somewhat bowed andhaving their ends formed into a cylindrical.form or eyelet 1411.. A bail I5 is provided, and while this might be variously made, in practice it has been made of a strip of sheet metal of comparatively narrow .width. The end I511 of bail [5 extends substantially at right angles to its central portion l5b, Brackets ll of, similar but reverse structure are secured to the ends of base Ill by .spaced screws 18. preferably having their heads countersunk in said brackets. Brackets I! have portions Ila extending substantially perpendicular to the ends of base l0 and have outer portions extending adjacent portions I la substantially parallel to the ends of base I0, said latter portions having their ends extending inwardly toward the ends of base Ill. The portions Ila are provided witha pluralitv of vertically extending open ended slots Nb, and as shown in Fig. 5, it will be seen that these slots are of different depths. Pivot screws l9 extend through brackets l1 and through openings adiacent the ends of the side portions 15a of bail l5. Bail I5 is thus pivoted on the screws l9 and furthermore can be moved longitudinally of said screws so that its side portions can be brought into ali'nement'with anyone of the slots l lb.

In operation the base I!) will be placed on a table or suitable stand and bail l5 will be placed in the desired one of the slots or sets of slots 11b. Bail l5 will thus be in inclined pos tion, as shown in Fig. 4, and its degree of inclination will be determined by the particular slot l'lb in which its end is disposed. A book 20 can now be opened and its lower edge disposed against plate H. The back of the book will rest against the central portion l5b of bail H5. The members I4 will now be swung to engage the top surfaces of the pages adjacent the lower edges thereof at either side of the open book. The said pages will be engaged by the lower sides of the cylindrical portions or eyelets Ma. The book is thus held perfectly in position for reading and does not need the attention of the reader. As the pages are turned, they can be easilv held by the members M. When the device is to be stored or transported, bail l5 can be swung to the position shown in Fig. 3, with its side portions extending along the ends of base l and its central portion |b extending along the front of said base. When thus disposed the inner side of the central portion [5b engages the portions Ma and the resiliency of the members l4 causes pressure to be exerted on portion |5b so that it is frictionally held in place. Members M ar also disposed along the front of the base in the rear of portion l5b. The device is thus easily put into compact form.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and eflicient structure of book holder. The device is of the desired weight and can be very easily and quickly manipulated to hold the book in any desired position. The device can also be easily and quickly placed in compact position for storage or transportation. It is of a size to be conveniently carriedin a small grip and is thus very suitable for speakers who must travel. The parts of the device are simple in structure and can be made from simple and easily procured material. The parts of the device will be nicely and suitably finished or made from non-corrosive metal. The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice, found to be very successful and efiicient and is being commercially made.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicant's invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A book holder having in combination, a plate-like base of general rectangular form, a plate at one side of said base and projecting above the top thereof for supporting the edge of a book, a bail of general U-shape having sides with their ends pivoted at the ends of said base, means en aged by said bail for holding the same in different positions for supporting said book in inclined position, and resilient means adjacent the ends of said plate and swingable to engage the pages of an open book to hold said book in open position.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, said bail being swingable to position with its sides disposed along the ends of said base and its central portion along one side thereof at the outer side of said plate, said resilient means being swingable to position to engage said central portion and hold the same in said position.

3. A book holder having in combination, a plate-like base of substantially rectangular form, brackets at the ends of said base having portions extending substantially perpendicular to said base and provided with a plurality of slots of different depths, a bail having end portions pivoted adjacent their ends to said brackets, said ball being freely movable lengthwise of said base and disposable in different ones of said slots to hold said bail in different inclined positions, means at the front of said base for holding the edge of a book, and swinging resilient means secured at the front of said base for engaging the leaves of an open book.

4. A book holder having in combination, a plate-like base of general rectangular form, members projecting from each end of said base, a bail having sides through which said members extend, said bail being swingable about said members and being freely movable lengthwise thereof and brackets at the ends of said base respectively having spaced portions engagable by the sides of said bail when said bail is moved to different positions lengthwise of said members.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, said brackets being secured to said base by said members.

6. A book holder having in combination, a plate-like base of general rectangular form, a bail having its sides swingingly mounted at the ends of said base, a pair of curved resilient members swingingly mounted at the front of said base for holding the pages of an open book, said bail and said members being so disposed that said bail can be swung into the plane of said base with its front close to the front of said base and engage said members in fixed position so that said bail is frictionally held in said position by said members.

CHARLES WEISHEIT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 544,948 Beyer Aug. 20, 1895 1,681,643 Kimbro Aug, 21, 1928 2,027,928 Norwood Jan. 14, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,939 Great Britain 1894 

